Advisory
Chair for BBG and Glendale resident Bart Turner, who has served on
numerous city boards and commissions, is working with Barbara Klein,
first vice-president of the League of Women Voters of Arizona (LWVA).

The
LWVA is firmly behind implementing the method of counting votes that
would eliminate the need for run-off elections in November, when one
candidate does not emerge with 50 percent plus one vote needed to win.

Turner
explained, “If no candidate emerges in the first round as the winner,
whatever candidate came in last place will be dropped out and their
votes will be distributed to the voter's second choice. At some point,
a candidate will cross the line as the majority winner.”

When circulating the petition, Turner said, it was the easiest sell he has ever had when trying to gather signatures.

“The
benefits are significant and immediate and it preserves majority rule
and promotes democracy,” he said. “There is no waiting for weeks to
find out who won and no expense to taxpayers to hold a second election
or for candidates to finance another two months of campaigning.”

Klein said it is completely non-partisan and gives all candidates a more level playing field.

“This
(RCV) is not something that is new,” Klein said. “Also known as
‘Instant Run-off Voting' (IRV), it is being used in Cambridge, Mass.,
Minneapolis, Minn., Burlington, Vt., Pierce County, Wash., North
Carolina, Utah Republican Party, San Francisco, Oakland and Davis,
Calif., Louisiana, Arkansas and South Carolina for overseas ballots,
numerous universities, and Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.”

Currently, there are no municipalities in Arizona that use RCV and Turner and Klein are hoping Glendale will be the first.

“In general, Glendale has the tendency to be more innovative and not afraid to take bold steps and lead the way,” Klein said.

No letters of argument were
received in opposition to the proposition; however, when pressed for a
possible down side to RCV, Klein said a few people said they thought it
was too complicated.

“I think voters
are smart enough to be able to select candidates in order of their
preference,” Klein said. “The big thing is, it lets people vote for who
they really want to win, rather than trying to cast a strategic vote if
their favorite candidate might be considered not electable.”